How to Be a Patient Lawyer

A patient attorneyrepresents patients who have experienced medical negligence or medical malpractice.

Patients can suffer in a number of ways as a result of poor care in hospitals. They can experience malfunctions of medical equipment or mistakes by medical staff. Patients have the right to assume they will receive proper medical treatment once they enter a medical facility. A patient attorney knows the rights of the patients and offers legal advice and legal representation in court. Patient lawyers can also negotiate monetary compensation outside the courtroom and settle a case between the patient and the medical staff of a facility.

1. Some see particular disciplines as traditional for following a career in law, such as history, philosophy, economics or political science. But you can also major in art, computer science or engineering and successfully apply to law school afterwards. Complete an undergraduate program in the field of your choice and take care to get good academic results. A high GPA will greatly increase your chances of getting into law school.

2. Earn your Bachelor’s degree and take the LSAT. Law schools use the LSAT score to assess

applicants. The makers designed the test to evaluate skills considered important for following a career in law. The LSAT measures abilities such as critical thinking, reasoning skills, argumentation techniques and management of information. Register for the LSAT on the Law School Admission Council’s website (http://www.lsac.org/) and go through preparation materials to get used to the types of questions you’ll have to answer on the day of the test.

3. From the time you apply to law school to the time you begin your studies, you will have several months in which you can start building a resume. Get a job in a law firm, even if it has nothing to do with legal work. You will get an idea about the inner workings of the profession and won’t have a blank resume once you graduate.

4. Complete three years of law school. Take those courses that will help you become a patient attorney, such as medical malpractice law or personal injury law. Get some guidance from your teachers about how to launch your career as a patient attorney.

5. Earn you degree from law school and take the bar exam. You’ll have to fill in a lot of paperwork and pay some high fees to register. Understand that the bar exam can prove very difficult, so you’ll need to seriously prepare for it. Take a bar exam preparation course to make sure you can start practicing law as soon as possible.

6. Once you get your license, contact law firms that handle medical negligence cases and discuss getting a job as a patient attorney. You can also put your name in the online lawyer directories, as many people search the Internet to find a patient lawyer to handle their cases.